After My Death, the Female Lead Breaks the Heartless Path - Chapter 32

The number of demons far exceeded Yin Ruolan’s expectations, appearing as though they couldn’t be dealt with anytime soon.

Moreover, perhaps because they couldn’t subdue them, the demons kept increasing in number and strength. Eventually, the five opponents even seemed capable of matching her.

Something was wrong, very wrong. And she couldn’t shake the feeling that these demons were ones she had slain before.

“Everyone, stay alert. Don’t get separated,” Yin Ruolan instructed, giving Liu Ruichu a meaningful glance.

Liu Ruichu nodded, suddenly unleashing a burst of energy to repel the demons in front of her, freeing one hand to launch a signal flare. All they had to do now was hold out until reinforcements arrived.

The signal flare lifted the spirits of the demons, their already high morale surging even higher. They gathered in small groups to avoid being singled out and targeted by a swarm of demons. The only one fighting alone was Yin Ruolan though not entirely alone, as Xu Jingqiu was with her. However, Xu Jingqiu still had limited combat capabilities.

Yin Ruolan faced the largest group of attackers. The others were either in one-on-one or one-on-two battles, while she and Xu Jingqiu alone confronted five or six opponents.

After repelling the enemies once more, Yin Ruolan finally realized what was amiss. The thing that had been clouding her perception had vanished.

The enemies she faced had indeed died before all except one, who was still alive.

Yin Ruolan swung her sword again, watching as the demon was sliced apart only to be crudely reassembled and charge forward again. Then, a bullet pierced straight through its head. The pile of flesh wobbled but quickly stabilized.

“Huh? Shooting the head doesn’t work?” Xu Jingqiu, with her unrestrained hand, held a gun, the shot had been hers.

So, they weren’t zombies. Then what in the world were these things?

Yin Ruolan waved her hand, and demonic energy surged forth, sweeping the monsters several feet away. She then turned to Xu Jingqiu and smiled. “Feeling better now?”

Xu Jingqiu shook her head but didn’t seem overly concerned. “A little, but it’s not a big issue. What’s going on here? How was your perception altered?”

If she hadn’t sensed the unfamiliar aura of an outer god and intervened, Yin Ruolan might still have believed she was facing an entire army division. In reality, the enemies here were just the same few, recycled over and over.

However, Yin Ruolan’s perception was only restored because of their soulmate bond. For the other demons, there was nothing she could do except capture the mastermind and take further action.

Speaking of which, why hadn’t the mastermind reacted? Yin Ruolan fought while observing, unable to resist asking.

Xu Jingqiu replied, “Someone taught me a bit of simple illusion magic before. It’s perfect for someone like him weak-willed and with unstable strength. If he realized you’d figured it out and ran off, it would be troublesome.”

This person was full of peculiarities and undoubtedly connected to the outer gods though it was unclear which one. Although the earlier signal flare hadn’t been launched, she had already contacted Ye Shuran, who was now on her way from the main city.

Yin Ruolan was somewhat surprised. After piercing a puppet’s heart, she asked, “You know illusion magic? I thought you weren’t skilled in that area?”

“That’s exactly why I went to learn it!” Xu Jingqiu declared confidently. Feeling that using the gun wasn’t very effective, she transformed it with her ability into a chain sword, brandishing it in coordination with Yin Ruolan.

At the same time, she noticed that the other demons seemed somewhat fatigued, yet their spirits remained highly charged, as if they wouldn’t stop wielding their weapons until their enemies were dead, even if it meant fighting to their last breath.

Though she couldn’t restore the demons’ cognitive abilities, she could still help boost their combat power to give them a chance to catch their breath. With a snap of her fingers aimed in the direction of the demons, Xu Jingqiu activated her ability from a distance.

[Arms Unbinding: Sharpened Blades]

The demons, who had been at a slight disadvantage, suddenly felt their weapons grow significantly sharper. They effortlessly struck down their enemies, but an inexplicable sense of emptiness followed.

Yin Ruolan also sensed the change in her weapon. Her sword, originally forged from a divine blade, had almost no room for further improvement, yet it had just broken through another limit. “It seems you’ve recovered quite well? I remember you used to only be able to alter things you touched.”

Xu Jingqiu nodded, then turned her gaze to the instigator who was now enraged. “Mm, my power leans more toward support like applying buffs to the whole team. I’m not really skilled in direct combat.”

Then, the girl who claimed to be unskilled in combat swung her sword and dispersed another enemy. The instigator across from them clearly lost his composure, glaring at Xu Jingqiu with venomous eyes. With a wave of his hand, all the puppets charged toward Xu Jingqiu, while the demons on their side stood there in confusion, having lost their targets.

As the puppets swarmed forward, Yin Ruolan tightened her grip on her sword, feeling a long-lost surge of battle intent. But the next moment, she was cooled down as if doused with a bucket of cold water, it was Xu Jingqiu’s doing.

“Tch, I should have just killed you outright instead of keeping you alive until now. A filthy human has no place in the demon realm!” the instigator roared, sending all the puppets charging forward.

Xu Jingqiu suddenly chuckled and glanced at Yin Ruolan. “Do we need to keep him alive?”

Yin Ruolan gave a slight nod. Understanding, Xu Jingqiu transformed the Heavenly Rule Measure on her wrist once again, manifesting a massive sword array behind her that firmly locked onto every single puppet.

With a snap of her fingers, countless swords poured down like rain, instantly annihilating the puppets. When the dust settled, only Xu Jingqiu, Yin Ruolan, and the demon remained.

The demon’s eyes widened in disbelief the so-called invincible army promised to him had vanished in the blink of an eye. Slowly shifting his gaze to the two, he snapped back to reality only when he realized he was firmly trapped, and he turned to flee.

Yin Ruolan instinctively moved to chase, but Xu Jingqiu stopped her. “He won’t get far,” Xu Jingqiu said. Her abilities were too likely to injure the demon, making it uncertain whether he’d still be able to talk afterward. Fortunately, the person she was waiting for had arrived.

Giant vines burst from the ground, tightly binding the demon. He struggled instinctively but found he couldn’t break free.

No, he still had the pill, the pill! Just as he was about to crush the pill hidden between his teeth, his jaw was seized, rendering him immobile.

Yin Ruolan stared darkly at the demon, took the pliers from Xu Jingqiu, extracted the pill, and tossed it aside. When she looked up, she saw a familiar face.

It was Ye Shuran.

Yin Ruolan didn’t hesitate to pretend she didn’t know this person. If Ye Shuran found out she was the one who had broken up with Xu Jingqiu back then, that big mouth would definitely blabber nonstop in front of Xu Jingqiu. Wouldn’t that expose her?

No, it wasn’t time yet. She needed to figure out how to explain the past to Xu Jingqiu, and she hadn’t come up with a suitable way yet.

Seeing someone who looked exactly like Xu Jingqiu’s deadbeat ex, Ye Shuran was momentarily stunned. “Yin… Yin Ruolan?”

Yin Ruolan appeared cold and aloof on the surface, but inside, she was incredibly tense. “Who are you? What do you want?”

Oh, it’s not her. Ye Shuran breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness that scumbag wasn’t here. “It’s nothing. It’s just that Your Excellency looks a lot like someone I know. What do you plan to do with this person?”

“Ask who sent him.” Yin Ruolan stepped forward and stabbed her sword into the ground next to the demon’s head. “Speak. What is your purpose?”

The demon was startled. At first, he wanted to act tough and say nothing after all, they were only living here because they refused to submit to this Demon Lord.

But the next moment, the demon met Xu Jingqiu’s icy gaze from behind Yin Ruolan. He felt a chill on his neck, as if a blade were pressed against it, and even imagined his skin being cut and blood trickling down.

Trembling, the demon immediately answered, “B-because she’s human! Humans are no good! They shouldn’t be here. Back when we appeared in the human realm, we were killed on sight. Why can they just waltz in here now? Why!”

Neither the current Demon Lord nor this suddenly appeared consort should be here!

Xu Jingqiu nodded calmly and said indifferently, “A nonsensical yet predictable answer.” Noticing Yin Ruolan’s gaze, she continued, “The demons who can accept humans are all in the cities now. Those who stay here are the ones who refuse to submit, right?”

Yes, these demons had chosen to live in this desolate place and resort to robbery because they refused to accept a human as their Demon Lord but couldn’t defeat her. She had considered dealing with them, but compared to the majority of demons, she would never truly be one of them because she was human.

Yin Ruolan thought to herself that she wasn’t really interested in this position either. The reason she became the Demon Lord was, first, for Xu Jingqiu, and second, because someone had entrusted her with the task.

“Where did your power come from? Who sent you here to ambush us?” Yin Ruolan pressed further.

She didn’t recall these demons having such abilities before. If they had, they would have rebelled long ago instead of hiding here to ambush others.

The topic suddenly shifted to the most critical point. The demon opened his mouth to speak, but his voice vanished. His eyes widened, bloodshot veins crawling across them, his mouth agape, and his entire body trembling in agony.

Yin Ruolan shielded Xu Jingqiu and stepped back a few paces, watching the demon warily. After a moment, the demon calmed down, hanging his head motionless.

Unable to contain her curiosity, Ye Shuran stepped forward to take a closer look. Just then, the demon suddenly lifted his head, his eyes vacant, and broke free from the vines’ restraints, charging straight at her.

Her collar was yanked back as Xu Jingqiu pulled her aside, raised her gun, pressed it against the demon’s forehead, and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

This time, the bullet was silver. The moment it struck the demon, it seamlessly merged into its body, and the demon froze instantly.

After Xu Jingqiu holstered her gun and nodded in approval, Ye Shuran strode forward with an air of triumph. With a single flick to the demon’s forehead, it disintegrated into dust.

“Its soul is gone,” Xu Jingqiu explained. “It made a deal with an Outer God, and the moment the contract was violated, its soul was devoured as punishment.” She then turned her gaze to the recently restored but still clueless demons and the ground scarred with sword marks, adding, “The same happened to the previous demons, their souls were consumed, and they were turned into puppets.”

“This is the work of the Outer Gods. If there are any forbidden zones or similar places in the demon realm, we should investigate them as soon as possible.”

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